Our response to CQC’s State of Care report 2018-19

Option responds to CQC’s State of Care report

We breakdown the latest report from CQC and list 4 things we are doing to improve the quality of care we provide.

The recent publication ‘The State of Care’ 2018-19 from the CQC brings to light some serious questions about current care provision within the UK. The report recognised in particular that across the country, care provision for people with learning disabilities and autism is ‘unacceptable’. To read the full report, you can click here. Or if you’d prefer this in easy read, download the report here.

With our recent ‘Outstanding’ rating from the CQC, happily Options are bucking that trend. But as an organsisation that is constantly learning and trying to improve, we have looked at this report to identify any ways in which we can do things better.

The report highlights some of the areas that need improvement:

The skills, training and experience of support staff

Staff Retention

Innovation in providing care

People accessing suitable packages of support and getting correct diagnosis

Poor care and treatment within a hospital setting because of lack of understanding of specific needs

So what are some of the things we are doing?

The skills, training and experience of support staff

Over the next 6 months, we will be implementing 2 new training courses as part of our core induction for all staff. The first will be on ‘Listening and Enabling’, and the second on ‘Health and Inclusion’. We want to provide foundational and inspirational training in these areas that will have a big impact on the lives of the people we support – tackling loneliness, and lack of independence, isolation and poor health.

Innovation in providing care

We are currently working with commissioners and families to develop packages of care in new and different ways than we have done before. With people’s support hours regularly being reviewed and reduced, we have a full-time IT lead who is focused on enabling people to utilise technology in new but everyday ways, for example, opening/closing blinds, automatic hoovers etc. This means people are going to be able to use their support hours to do the things that that want to do, like hobbies, work or volunteering.

People accessing suitable packages of support and getting correct diagnosis

We already have this handy guideon how to get support. Our Health Lead, Christine, is putting together guidance for people who want a correct diagnosis.

Poor care and treatment within a hospital setting because of lack of understanding of specific needs

This is a big one. We have already recruited a Health Lead, who is building relationships with the LD nurses in local hospitals. She’s also working with teams to help them understand what reasonable adjustments they can ask for on behalf of the people we support.

Have you read this report? What did you think? Have a great idea on how we can improve? Comment below or email me at stephanie.hannan@ofsl.org.uk